


Gladstone's Lucky Valentine?

by gladdecease



Category: Disney Ducks (Comics)
Genre: Community: 100fandoms, F/M, Gladstone Gander's Luck, POV Outsider, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 08:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17784299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladdecease/pseuds/gladdecease
Summary: When Huey, Dewey, and Louie discover that their Uncle Gladstone is unhappy in love on Valentine's Day of all days, they convince him to use his famous luck to get a date with the person he loves.  Gladstone's luckalwaysworks in his favor, so nothing can possibly go wrong... right?





	Gladstone's Lucky Valentine?

**Author's Note:**

> If, somehow, you are into this ship without being aware of modmad's incredible Gladstone- and Magicstone-centric comics, please [make yourself aware](http://thepropertyofhate.com/DoodleComics/). This fic is heavily inspired by the feel of those comics - most notably the Gladstone/Magica URT status quo, but also the strong canon flavor. It's hard to make that come across in prose, _especially_ with the cast I used here (dear god, why did I think I could write triplet hivemind POV), but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same.

Walking down a street decorated in shades of pink and red in their beloved hometown of Duckburg, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck couldn’t help but let out a trio of happy sighs. They watched couples exchanging hearts and flowers, holding hands and smiling, and found themselves smiling too. Was there anything quite as wonderful as a holiday that made _everybody_ happy?

A sigh dripping with misery tore the triplets from their thoughts. They craned their necks this way and that, looking for the source of that sound, and were shocked to realize it was someone they knew.

“Well I’ll be!”

“Uncle Gladstone!”

“What’s got _you_ looking so down?”

Gladstone Gander, the luckiest bird in all of Duckburg, spun around and smiled at the three of them. “Huey, Dewey, Louie! Good to see you boys.”

“Wish _we_ could say the same!” Huey said, looking at the bags under Gladstone’s eyes. He had _definitely_ seen better days.

“Yeah,” Dewey said with a frown, “we could hear that sigh from all the way down the street.”

“Don’t you know it’s Valentine’s Day?!” Louie said, arms akimbo. “A day for celebrating love and happiness?”

“Oh, I know,” Gladstone said, smiling an unhappy little smile as he walked away. For all that he said he knew what day it was, his face didn’t seem to have gotten the memo.

“Then why are you looking so gloomy?” Louie asked, heading up the line of brothers following in Gladstone’s wake.

“Well… oh, hey, ten bucks!” Gladstone bent down to snatch up the cash, inspected the bill carefully, and stuffed it in a nearby homeless man’s collection cup. Huey, Dewey, and Louie added some change to their uncle’s contribution, then stared up at him with the wide, pleading eyes they knew from experience no grown-up could resist. Soon enough, he caved in and said, “Truth is, kids, not having someone special to be with on Valentine’s Day can make you feel a little gloomy sometimes.”

“Oh.”

“That makes sense…”

They hadn’t seen any people around town who weren’t enjoying the holiday with their special someone - but thinking about it, if you _didn’t_ have someone special in your life, you wouldn’t _want_ to be in town during the holiday. Gladstone had a bag hanging from his wrist - errands he’d forgotten to run yesterday, from the look of it - and now he was in the middle of Duckburg in the middle of the most romantic time of year, all on his own.

How… unlucky?

“Hang on!” Dewey protested. “You’re the luckiest guy in town! How can you not have someone special to spend the day with?”

“Hey, yeah! If you wanted a date, wouldn’t one show up just like _that_?” Huey asked, snapping his fingers.

Gladstone shook his head. “A _date_ is not the same thing as a _special someone_.”

The boys exchanged confused looks. Surely people only went on dates with their special someones. What else were dates _for_?

Gladstone chuckled, and pointed out a nearby bakery. “Here.” He walked in, waving for the boys to follow him. It was a wonderful little store, full of rich yeasty bread smells and sweet sugary sights. Huey, Dewey, and Louie immediately flocked to displays of their favorite treats, staring eagerly at stacks of powdered sugar-dusted brownies, towering cakes decorated with gleaming frosting flowers, and boxes upon boxes of delicate little cookies.

“Welcome!” said a cheery young dog to Gladstone from behind the counter. “As our one-hundredth customer today, you’ve won a complementary bag of Valentine’s Day cookies, and ten percent off everything else in the store.” She handed Gladstone a plastic bag tied up with a pink ribbon; inside were three gigantic heart-shaped cookies decorated with pink and white icing. Smiling absently, he passed the bag of cookies to his nephews.

“Wow! Thanks, Uncle Gladstone!” Huey, Dewey, and Louie chimed, running outside. They found a bench nearby to sit on and divvied up their goodies. Each cookie was practically as big as one of their heads, so they had to eat carefully. It took a lot of time, and patience, and created a lot of crumbs, but in the end they were dizzy with sugar and full bellies - well worth the effort.

By the time they were reduced to licking their fingers in search of some invisible traces of icing, Gladstone was done with the bakery, a small box tied up with purple ribbon the only sign that he’d bought something.

“Thanks again, Uncle Gladstone!”

“Though I don’t really understand what that bakery had to do with what you were saying…”

“Yeah! What do cookies have to do with _dates_ and _special someones_?”

“Well, it’s like this,” Gladstone said. He pointed at the now empty bag of cookies. “Those cookies were nice, right?”

“Sure were!”

“ _De_ licious!”

“Now, what if your Uncle Donald had made you some cookies?”

The boys recoiled at the very thought.

“ _Uncle Donald_? He can’t bake to save his life!”

“No _thanks_!”

Gladstone covered his mouth for a moment, shoulders shaking; when he pulled his hand away, he was fighting down a big smile. “Sure, they might not be as pretty, or taste as good, as the bakery cookies. But you’d still eat the cookies your uncle made for you, right?”

“Well… yeah!”

“Even though they’d probably make us sick.”

“And why is that?” Gladstone asked.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie gave their uncle a concerned look. Did he not understand?

“Because it’s _Uncle Donald_!”

“Because he made them for us!”

“Because he loves us!”

Gladstone snapped his fingers and pointed at his nephews. “Exactly.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, I get it!”

“I don’t!”

The boys huddled together for a conference of whispers, pulling back into their usual lineup only after confirming that they had all received Gladstone’s message. He gave them an expectant look, and they recited what they’d learned:

“By giving us cookies you’d won with your luck, you were showing us that you _can_ get a date just like _that_.” The boys snapped. “But it wouldn’t be with someone you love.”

“Now you’ve got it,” Gladstone said with an approving smile. He waved goodbye and turned to go back on his way.

Or he would have, if his nephews hadn’t said, “But you’re wrong, Uncle Gladstone!”

Gladstone froze mid-step, shoulders up around his ears. “The cheek!” He spun around and narrowed his eyes at the three boys. “You think I’m _wrong_ about how _my luck_ works?”

Huey, Dewey, and Louie nodded firmly.

“And how exactly am I wrong?”

“You see, Uncle Gladstone, if all you _wish for_ is a date, then all you _get_ is a date!”

“You’re the luckiest guy in town, so you’d win a contest where the prize is a date with a famous actress like Yulia Boberts - ”

“Or a model like Tygra Barks!”

“Or a pop star like W!nk!”

“ - but even then it’s just a date. If you want something more, you’ve got to _wish_ for something more.”

“Is that right?” Gladstone asked. He wasn’t smiling. The triplets reconsidered. Maybe this was a bad idea. “And what kind of ‘something more’ would that be?”

“Something like… ‘I wish to go on a date with somebody I could fall in love with.’”

“Or… ‘I wish my One True Love would go on a date with me.’”

“Or… ‘I wish I could meet my future wife today.’”

Gladstone’s face went bright red. “Future _wife?_ ”

The boys exchanged a look.

“Too much?”

“Looks like it.”

“Listen, boys,” Gladstone said, voice a little harried, “while I appreciate the thought, I don’t want to meet somebody new like that. Knowing that my luck thinks we’re meant to be together would be… well, it’d be a lot of pressure!”

“Oh.”

“Good point.”

Gladstone let out a little relieved sigh, one triplet too soon.

Dewey gave Gladstone a sly look. “‘Somebody _new_ ’, huh?”

Gladstone’s eyes went wide, his face went pale, and Huey and Louie realized their brother was right on the money.

“Uncle Gladstone… you _do_ have a special someone!”

“Now, boys - ”

“A special someone but no date for Valentine’s Day?”

“Maybe they’re busy?”

“With Gladstone’s luck? No way!”

“Yeah, the only way he doesn’t have a date with his special someone is if…” Louie stopped talking the second he realized what he was about to say, shooting a wide-eyed _shut up guys_ look at his brothers.

Too late.

“...they don’t _want_ to date him.”

Silence.

The boys looked cautiously at each other, then up at their uncle. He didn’t notice; he wasn’t looking at them. Staring at nothing, jaw slack, hands curled into loose fists... he looked hurt, _really_ hurt.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie had done that.

They shared a look and nodded, decided. If they’d done it, they’d have to fix it too.

Jumping Gladstone while he was still lost in thought, the boys wrapped their arms around his legs and squeezed tight.

“ _We_ love you, Uncle Gladstone.”

After a moment of choked silence, Gladstone set his hands against his nephews’ backs in a loose hug. “Thank you, boys,” he said quietly.

Unwilling to let go of their uncle, the boys leaned back and craned their necks to get a look at his face.

“Are you sure they don’t…?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Have you even _asked_?”

“Well, I…” Ha! That wasn’t a yes, which meant it was basically a no! There was still hope! A sad look coming into Gladstone’s eyes, he turned his head away. “It’s complicated.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“I think it’s a Beakbook thing.”

Gladstone laughed. Tugging his legs free of the boys’ grip, he sat down on the bench and let them clamber over him. “No, not like that. It means I _can’t_ ask.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t have her number,” Gladstone said. Cocking his head to one side, he added, “I don’t even know if she _has_ a number.”

Huey, Dewey, and Louie scoffed.

“That’s a dumb reason.”

“Just use your luck!”

Gladstone sighed. “But also…”

When Gladstone didn’t continue, the boys nudged him. “Also…?”

He put a hand over his eyes. “I guess… I’m scared.”

“ _Scared?_ ”

“ _You?_ ”

“Of what?”

“Her answer.” Gladstone uncovered his eyes, and, seeing their confused faces, said, “If she says no, it’s over. I’m left with a broken heart, knowing that I was only one who ever felt anything.”

“…Uncle Gladstone,” Dewey said, gently patting the back of Gladstone’s hand, “I think you’re already a little brokenhearted.”

Gladstone smiled. It wasn’t a happy smile. “Maybe.”

Leaning into Gladstone’s side, Huey gave him a half-hug. “Then it can’t get much worse than this. Right?”

“I don’t know.” Gladstone thought about it. “I sure hope not.”

“Besides,” Louie said, hugging Gladstone around the neck, “what if she _doesn’t_ say no?”

“If she doesn’t say no…” A spark of hope rose in Gladstone’s eye, only to disappear with a sagging sigh. “I have no idea. She’s… well, let’s just say it’s complicated for more than one reason. If liking her isn’t easy, dating her would be practically _impossible_.”

“So you’d rather do nothing?!”

Gladstone shrugged, dislodging Louie from his place on Gladstone’s shoulder. “Maybe.”

The four of them sat in a dissatisfied silence for a minute, before Dewey got an idea. He hopped off the bench and stood before his family, a keen glint in his eye as he said, “What if you could ask her… _without_ asking her?”

“What on Earth do you mean by _that_?”

“Gladstone’s luck!”

“Huh?”

“I bet, if we can phrase a wish the right way, he can find out her answer without having to ask the question!”

“Oh, like… ‘if she likes me, may lightning split this tree in two!’”

“...maybe something a little less destructive? Like… oh, hey!” Spotting a weedy little flower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk, Huey plucked it and presented it to Gladstone.

Gladstone stared at the flower. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“You know… she loves me, she loves me not?” Huey mimed plucking the petals, and a visibly skeptical Gladstone went along with the request. The last petal was ‘she loves me’, to Huey’s delight. His brothers were less convinced.

“I don’t think that has anything to do with luck, Huey.”

“Yeah, we’d better pick something that’s too unlikely to happen by chance. Like… ‘if she likes me, I wish Aunt Daisy would chase a bunch of Beagle Boys down the street.’”

“Or ‘if she likes me, I wish a pirate’s treasure chest would fall out of the sky!’”

“Or - ”

“Fellas, fellas! We’re doing this all wrong!”

“You don’t say,” Gladstone said flatly. Each suggested wish had left him more and more frazzled, so that now he was all fluff and nerves. Good thing Dewey was about to solve all his problems.

“It’s simple. ‘I wish that the woman I like, if she likes me back, would go out with me for Valentine’s Day.’ Worst case scenario, Gladstone gets his answer without getting humiliated. Best case scenario, he gets his answer _and_ his date!”

“Plus _she_ has no idea that he knows how she feels about him!” Huey blinked. “Wait, now that I say it, something about that seems kind of mean…”

“Sounds perfect,” Gladstone said, sounding kind of mean himself.

“Uncle Gladstone?”

“I guess _she_ isn’t the only reason ‘it’s complicated.’”

“I don’t know about this…”

Gladstone put on a reassuring smile. “Boys, don’t worry! Honestly, I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to go the way you’re expecting.”

“And how do you know what we’re expecting?”

This made Gladstone stop and think. “Well gosh, I guess I don’t.”

“For all you know, we’re expecting the same thing as you!”

Gladstone snorted. “Now _that_ , I doubt.” Looking at Huey, Dewey, and Louie, he started to grin. “Okay kids, here’s what we’re gonna do.” Pulling a pad of paper out of his bag, Gladstone tore four pages loose. “We’ll each write down what we think will happen. Then I’ll make the wish, you’ll see I was right, and all three of you will forget you ever heard about Uncle Gladstone having a special someone. Sound good?”

“Maybe…”

“What if you’re wrong?”

Gladstone laughed. “If I’m wrong, you three get to be best men at the wedding. Deal?”

The boys knew each other well enough that they could answer Gladstone immediately. “Deal!”

“Wonderful.” Gladstone only had the one pen in his bag, but checking under the bench turned up a couple pencils and a cheap ballpoint pen, a little dirty but otherwise fine. They spread out, seeking out flat surfaces to write on where nobody could peek at them, and wrote down their predictions - Gladstone taking no time at all, the triplets putting a little more thought into their theories. Once all four predictions had been written and folded up, Gladstone got to his feet.

He didn’t say anything at first, too busy fretting over how he looked. Dusting off his hat, straightening his bow tie, inspecting his spats... for all he’d said this wasn’t going to work, he seemed pretty nervous.

Which was fine and all, but it was also _boring_.

“Get on with it, Uncle Gladstone!”

Gladstone twitched. “Impatient little…”

“We believe in you, Uncle Gladstone!”

“You can do it!”

“Okay, okay…” Relaxing a bit, Gladstone smirked. “I’d say wish me luck, but there’s really no need!” Turning to face the street, Gladstone took a deep breath and made his wish.

“I wish that the woman I… that the woman I love, provided she loves me back, would go to dinner with me on Valentine’s Day - uh, today, that is.”

Huey, Dewey, and Louie watched with wide eyes and bated breath - but not for long.

“ _Gladstone Gander!_ There you are, you fundamentally fortunate fellow!” A woman the boys knew all too well stepped out of the crowds happily wandering the streets of Duckburg, latched onto Gladstone’s arm and tried to pull him along in her wake. “Every restaurant in town is booked solid for the rest of the day, but _your luck_ is going to get me a table at the most expensive one in town: _L’Oie d’Or_.”

Gladstone smiled, pulling free of her grip. It was a smile with sharp edges, one his nephews hadn’t seen him wear before. “Now why would _my luck_ do that?”

She turned a fierce look on him, hair fanning out dramatically behind her as a crack of thunder echoed in the distance. Funny, the weather forecast hadn’t mentioned rain today. “Is it not enough to know you would have the most powerful witch in all the world in your debt?”

The boys gulped. “M-M-Magica de Spell!”

Noticing them for the first time, Magica sneered. “Oh, _children_. Shoo!”

“B-but - ”

“Go away now, grown-ups are talking.”

“It’s okay, boys,” Gladstone said with a grin. Shooting Magica a sideways narrow-eyed look, he said, “So long as she isn’t going after Uncle Scrooge’s dime…”

Magica bristled. “Of course not!” When Gladstone gave her a skeptical look, she muttered, “Your luck always turns against me whenever your _family_ gets involved, I’ve learned my lesson there.”

“Then sure, I could probably use a favor from a marvelously magical madam such as yourself.” Magica sniffed indignantly at ‘madam’, but when Gladstone offered her the little box he’d gotten from the bakery, wrapped in a ribbon that perfectly matched her outfit, she blinked, smiled, and took it.

And so, with a wink and a wave goodbye, Gladstone let Magica draw him away, into the crowd of couples headed into the center of town for an evening of romance.

The boys sat dumbfounded for a minute.

“Boy, who could’ve seen _that_ coming?”

A thought striking him, Huey unfolded the predictions they had made. “Well what do you know, Uncle Gladstone did!”

“ _Huh?!_ ”

He read aloud, “‘Before my special someone can appear, Magica de Spell will drag me into one of her schemes.’”

“How about that.”

“...you know, _technically_ , she _did_ ask him to go to dinner with her.”

“On _Valentine’s Day_.”

“And she _did_ appear right after Gladstone made his wish.”

Huey, Dewey, and Louie shared a suspicious look.

“You don’t think…”

They burst into laughter. “ _Nah!_ ”

“No way!”

“But I’ll say this for Magica: she sure got Gladstone looking a lot less gloomy!”

“Yeah, when she showed up he looked almost happy to see her!”

“‘Almost’? That smile on his face as she dragged him off - he was _definitely_ happy!”

It was odd that it had taken _Magica de Spell_ , of all people, to make it happen. But so long as their uncle had a happy Valentine’s Day, the boys decided that details like “why” and “who with” didn’t really matter.

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "heart" on my [100fandoms](http://100fandoms.dreamwidth.org/) [table](https://gladdecease.dreamwidth.org/259.html?thread=9219#cmt9219).


End file.
